1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to compositions, processes and systems for the control and eradication of invasive plant species (i.e. weeds) (dandelion, spotted knapweed, cheatgrass and others).
2. Basis for Invention
Invasive weeds are a serious world-wide problem and about 5% of the world economy (˜$1.4 T) is spent annually on control. The approach to weed control currently used is ineffective, expensive and causes excessive harm to the environment. The current global practice for weed control involves spraying chemical weed control formulations on the live, above ground tissue of growing plants to selectively disrupt the physiological processes of the plant.
Invasive species are adapted to nutrient-poor soils and out-compete desirable native vegetation once established. As the human population has swelled from 1 B to more than 7 B people over the past 200 years no corner of the globe has been spared from land disturbing activities including grazing, mining, logging, road building, urbanization, and crop production. In many cases land disturbances are severe and native soils have become depleted of nutrients (i.e. disturbed) resulting in a net ecological shift away from soils in geochemical equilibrium with the occupying plant community toward invasive species dominated soils with low fertility.
Plant-soil equilibrium exists through recycling of soil nutrients by decay of above ground biomass. Disequilibrium occurs when the above ground biomass is removed (e.g. heavy grazing or fire) and return of nutrients to the soil greatly reduced. The net condition of global soil is one of declining health and mining of soil nutrients without replacement. Declining soil health, declining plant production and invasion by weeds are the result. Agrarian societies dependent on agriculture output are diminished and made less secure.
In order to address this long-felt need for weed control on disturbed lands, the present invention provides environmentally-friendly, cost-effective compositions, methods and systems for the control of unwanted plants on disturbed soils.